Southampton fought off competition from both Tottenham and Fulham to capture Osvaldo, 27, in a deal which beats the previous club transfer record of £12million - whcih was spent on both Victor Wanyama and Gaston Ramirez.

But choosing Southampton was easy for Osvaldo. He said: 'It's the club that showed the most interest in me. Second of all I know Mauricio and I know how he works. I'm very happy to be working with him.

'And also because I wanted to play in the Premier League, I've been dreaming about it and I want to do something important in the league.'

Number 17: Osvaldo has signed a four-year contract with Southampton and has been reunited with Pochettino, his manager at Espanyol

Separated at birth: Osvaldo has more than a passing resemblance to Johnny Depp

Record buy: Osvaldo said his move from Roma was an easy decision after his former boss at Espanyol Mauricio Pochettino sanctioned a £15m offer

Osvaldo spent a season-and-a-half at Espanyol in 2010 and 2011, where he scored 22 goals in 47 appearances and he was understandably full of praise for a manager who gets the best from him.

'He's magnificent. It's fantastic, great to work with him,' he said. 'He is a great motivator and for me it's very important to work with people who appreciate and respect how I work. For many years people haven't appreciated that.

'I know him well and how he sets out his teams. The season I had at Espanyol was my best as a footballer. In a personal sense, I think I did well playing under him.

'I want to repeat that and improve it. I'm confident that will happen and I can't wait to start.'

International duty: Osvaldo playing for Italy against Argentina at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday evening

Osvaldo has spent the last two seasons at Roma, and was the club's top scorer in Serie A last year with 16 goals. But he had no hesitation in swapping the Italian capital for the south coast of England.

'No it wasn't difficult at all. in fact from the moment I signed I was relieved. It's what I really wanted for me and my career and my girlfriend. We've been looking for houses for three months, it wasn't a difficult decision.

'Like I said before, I always wanted to play in the Premier League. I've always been a massive fan, even before I was in Italy. It was always a dream.

Taking them on: Osvaldo has three goals in nine appearances for Italy

'For someone who comes from Argentina and plays for Italy, one thing that strikes me is the respect for the players from the fans.

'They respect that you're trying even if you make mistakes. Overall, the technical level of the league is amazing, it's dynamic.